Smoothies are a great way to start your day with a power-punch of nutrients. In the warmer months you may find it easier to drink a smoothie than prepare a meal - they are a great way to avoid meal-skipping when you’re busy. These 2 recipes are loaded with fresh whole food goodness, easy to make, and easy to enjoy!

A nutritionally well-balanced smoothie can be great if you are struggling with symptoms of estrogen dominance, such as:

Breast tenderness at ovulation or during the PMS time
Fibrocystic breasts (i.e. cyclic breast tenderness or breast swelling, sometimes diagnosed by ultrasound)
PMS – especially feeling irritable, tearful, or having bothersome mood swings
PMS-related headaches or migraines
PMS-related acne or breakouts
Heavy and/or irregular periods
Weight gain around the hips and bum
Water retention or feeling puffy
Anxiety, nervousness
Depression
Decreased libido
Difficulty falling asleep or insomnia
Short menstrual cycle (approximately less than every 25 days)
Spotting before the period

The hormone balance berry smoothie is also good for women who are looking to gently support their hormones, such as women trying to conceive, or women going through perimenopause or in menopause. It’s also suitable for women during pregnancy.

Some of my favourite hormone balancing superfoods, include:

Kale. This cruciferous vegetable contains an estrogen detoxing compound called Indol-3-carbinol (or I3C for short).

Flax seeds. Flax contain healthy fibres and lignans that benefit the gut bacteria. Did you know that your gut microflora have a role in estrogen metabolism? Ground flax seeds are an ideal superfood for women who want to balance estrogen.

Full-fat Greek Yoghurt. Yoghurt is a one-two punch for healthy hormones; not only does it contain healthy probiotics to support estrogen metabolism, but it’s also high in calcium, which is a critical nutrient for hormones and serotonin. You may know serotonin for it’s role as our “happy hormone”. During the premenstrual phase (i.e. during PMS time), serotonin dips low, contributing to worsened PMS. Supplementing with calcium, or increasing your food sources of calcium, can help to mitigate PMS symptoms like irritability, depression, or moodiness.

Vegan, or don’t tolerate dairy? Substitute coconut yoghurt instead.

Organic Soy Milk. There’s a lot of confusion about soy. I love (organic) soy for it’s high protein content and calcium content. Organic soy is excellent for women in perimenopause and menopause. Believe it or not, it’s also great for women with estrogen dominance symptoms. How is this possible? Well, soy contains isoflavones, which are “estrogen-like” compounds. Interestingly, phytoestrogens can have either an “estrogenic” or an “anti-estrogenic” effect in the body, depending on: hormone status, reproductive history, the dose of phytoestrogens, how long they’ve been taken for, and at what point in the lifespan they are taken. These compounds can bind to estrogen receptors in the body, but they bind “loosely” and don’t have the same “strong” effect that our natural estrogen has. Therefore, they actually help to mitigate or reduce the symptoms of high estrogen by “blocking” those estrogen receptors.

Coconut milk. Coconut is a great alternative (or addition) to soy milk. Did you know that our sex hormones, like estrogen and progesterone, are built from cholesterol? We need to be eating enough cholesterol in the diet to ensure we have the basic building blocks to make our hormones. If you have symptoms of low hormones, I recommend adding 2-3 Tbsp coconut milk from the can in addition to the soy milk above.

Bonus ingredients:

Turmeric. This anti-inflammatory herb is excellent for women who have period cramps. It’s also supportive for liver detox pathways, which makes it a great bonus ingredient in the spring during a mild cleanse or if you want to support your estrogen detox pathways.

Ginger. recommend this herb frequently for women who have bothersome period cramps or endometriosis pain. Adding ginger into smoothies, juices, tea and meals is a great way to use food as medicine to help manage period pain.

Ashwagandha*. This is one of my favourite “adaptogen” herbs for women. Adaptogens help you “adapt” to stress better and enhance your resilience.You can add a capsule of ashwagandha into your smoothie before you blend it.

*If you are pregnant, please speak to your naturopath or doctor about this herb (ashwagandha) before adding it to your routine.

Let’s get to the recipes!

Summer Smoothie

Ingredients

150 g pineapple pieces (can be frozen)
½ lemon, peeled and chopped
1 small handful of mint leaves
2 small kale leaves, stems removed, or 1 small handful baby spinach leaves
1 tsp chia seeds
75 ml water
1/2 cup ice

DIRECTIONS

Add all ingredients into a high-powered blender. Blend for 30-60 seconds.
Serve and enjoy. You can also pop it into an insulated smoothie cup or bottle to enjoy chilled while you’re on the run!

Hormone Balancing Berry Smoothie

Ingredients

1 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 frozen banana
2 big handfuls of kale (baby spinach will work best if you don’t have a strong blender)
2 Tbsp ground flax seeds
1/4 cup full fat plain Greek yoghurt or coconut yoghurt
4 Tbsp hemp seeds
Splash of orange juice
1/2 cup organic soy milk, or coconut milk
Water to thin, as needed

Optional additions:

1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 inch knob of fresh ginger
1 capsule or 1 tsp ashwagandha

DIRECTIONS

Add all ingredients into a high-powered blender. Blend for 30-60 seconds.
Serve and enjoy.

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